


Korean Conflict

by bgn



Category: MASH (1970), MASH (TV), The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-05
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 14:08:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3293186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn/pseuds/bgn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Glenn in a past life during the Korean War. AU without zombies. M*A*S*H characters and other WD characters appear.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Korean Conflict

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re only familiar with M*A*S*H the tv series you may not be aware that the source material is a novel by Richard Hooker about three army doctors: Benjamin Franklin ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce, John Francis Xavier ‘Trapper John’ McIntyre and Augustus Bedford ‘Duke’ Forrest. The 1970 movie followed the book closely but changes were made for tv so Duke Forrest wasn’t in the series. The movie gave a start to several actors: Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Robert Duvall, Rene Auberjonois and Gary Burghoff as Radar who was the only actor to play the same part in the movie and the series. The Korean War lasted three years but the series ran for 11 seasons and there were other cast changes and new characters in that time.
> 
> [M*A*S*H theme 'Suicide Is Painless'](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-BtquTKw78)

Case Notes

Patient: Merle Dixon, Private First Class, 24th Infantry Division  
Arrived: 4077th MASH December 21, 1952  
Condition: Right hand infected due to severe lacerations from shrapnel  
Treatment: 12-21 Wound debrided and disinfected, antibiotics administered  
12-22 Wound septic, antibiotics continued  
12-23 Antibiotics ineffective, wound exhibiting wet gangrene, hand amputated

* * *

Merle woke to a silent post-op tent. There were only three other patients. Daryl was in a chair by his bed, sleeping sitting up. Merle glanced at his right arm with the neatly bandaged stump. He'd known they were putting him under tonight to take off the hand but a small hope had remained that it wouldn't be necessary after all. Still, he was alive and would be going home early. Too bad his luck hadn't held for two more months when his tour of duty finished. Daryl had six months to go.

"Hey."

Merle's voice was low and scratchy but Daryl had always been a light sleeper. His eyes opened and he sat up, instantly alert. "You want some water?"

"Yeah." Merle's throat felt better as he sipped. "How'd you get here? Ain't hurt, are you?"

"Naw. Got three days leave over the Christmas ceasefire. Heard you were here."

If Merle had leave he would have spent it drinking and whoring but Daryl was a more moderate drinker and he kept his taste for his own sex hidden.

"Sorry about your hand."

"By god, that army recruiter wasn't lying when he said my country needed a hand. Ain't gonna be much use on the farm like this."

"Have to practice some stuff but you'll do fine. You're a lefty anyway."

"I want my hand, Daryl."

"I know. But it's off and you got to live with that."

"I mean I want the chopped off hand."

"What the fuck for?"

"Keep it in a jar."

"Where? On the mantel? I don't think so."

"My room, then."

"That's morbid."

"Well, what are they gonna do with it?"

"I'll ask." Daryl looked around. A man in scrubs was asleep at a desk. A Korean boy was cleaning nearby. "Hey, kid, you speak English?"

"Yes, yes." The kid came over eagerly. "How I help?"

Not as young as Daryl first thought, late teens maybe.

"What happened to my brother's hand?"

The kid looked down at Merle's right arm. "I go out on limb here – limb, get it? – and say amputated."

Daryl was angry. "You think my brother losing his hand is a joke?"

"No, no. Very sorry. You right. Bad way to work on English language humor."

But Merle was laughing. "That was funny, Chinaman."

The kid looked confused. "Chinese enemy. I Korean."

"Whatever."

"What we wanna know," Daryl said, "is what happened to the chopped off hand?"

"Ah. Body parts buried on hill behind camp."

"Why not burn 'em?" Daryl asked. "Like cremation."

"Cook meat smell bring hungry animals. Better to bury deep so they don't dig up."

"Is mine buried already? Can I get it back?"

The kid's eyes went wide with alarm. "Why you want?"

"Wanna take it home with me."

The kid turned to Daryl. "Your brother sick in head." He called out quietly so as not to wake the other patients, "Dr. Pierce. Hawkeye!"

The man in scrubs asleep at the desk stirred. "Better be an emergency."

"Patient delusional, maybe fever."

Hawkeye yawned, stretched and stood up. He was tall, lanky and unshaven. "What's going on, Glenn?"

"This man think he in China. And he want to keep chopped off hand."

The doctor didn't appear disturbed by these statements. "Why do you want your amputated hand?"

"Thought I could get buried all together someday."

Hawkeye nodded. "Understandable. Eunuchs in China kept their castrated parts so they could be buried eventually as whole men." He paused. "Is that why you think you're in China?"

"I don't think I'm in China. This here is Korea."

"He called me Chinaman," Glenn said.

"Where you from?" Hawkeye asked Merle. "Deep South I'm guessing from the accent."

"Georgia."

Hawkeye spoke to Glenn. "Some citizens of the U.S. aren't up on the lingo. They refer to everyone in Asia as Chinamen or Chinks." He turned back to Merle. "Glenn is accustomed to being called Gook. Please use the correct terminology so we don't think you're an ignorant racist honky white-trash redneck cracker." He smiled. "As for the hand, it's gone. Laid to rest with a view from the hill. When you get home you can write a new verse to 'I left my heart in San Francisco'." He wandered off singing softly, "I left my hand in South Korea. High on a hill, it calls to me."

"Is that guy really a doctor?" Daryl asked.

"Finest kind," Glenn said.

"He's all right," Merle admitted. "Tried hard to save my hand. I could tell it warn't no use. We were pinned down in a marsh all night and I couldn't keep it out of the mud."

"Don't seem to me that bein' called Gook is much better than Chinaman," Daryl said.

"Language mistake. When Americans arrive, Koreans say 'Mi Gook' which mean America but they thought that what we call ourself."

"So we're the Gooks?"

"Good joke, yes?"

"Not to me but I can see how you might think so." Daryl hadn't had much to do with the local population and he never imagined he would enjoy talking like this to a Korean. The civilians he'd seen were mostly older poor people, peasants similar to sharecroppers back home. Glenn was young but also different from the other young people Daryl had come across. He spoke good English and was almost like any American teenager.

Glenn saw that Merle was fighting sleep. "You rest now."

"Something for the pain would help me drop off."

Glenn looked at Merle suspiciously. "You sleepy already." He checked the clipboard at the end of Merle's bed then glanced at a clock above the desk. "Two more hours. Ask next shift. If it bad I get Dr. Pierce back."

"I'll tough it out."

Daryl figured his brother wasn't hurting much yet and had just hoped to score something extra. Merle had been getting into drugs a little at home before enlisting. He'd probably had morphine the last few days and was remembering how good it felt to not feel.

"You need sleep, too," Glenn said to Daryl. "I show you enlisted quarters."

Glenn handed off to another orderly then led Daryl to the supply tent for bedding.

"I got my bedroll with me." Daryl told him.

"How long since washed?"

Daryl was silent.

"We send to laundry tomorrow. Use camp bedding while here." They took off across the compound, Glenn navigating expertly in the dark.

"You really know this place," Daryl said.

"Work here since war start, more than two years," Glenn said proudly. "Like to be doctor someday. Go to America and study there. Swampmen give me books to read."

"Swampmen?"

"Hawkeye and other doctors. Their tent called the Swamp. Here your tent. Holds eight but only four others now."

"Thanks."

"You want I come in morning, take you to mess tent?"

"Yeah, if you got time."

"Oh, sure. Not busy during ceasefire."

Daryl watched Glenn walk away before going inside. The four cots farthest from the door and nearest to the stove were occupied. Daryl dropped his duffel, spread a sheet on an empty cot, shook out a blanket on top, took off his boots and went to bed.

It had been a long day, full of worry about his brother. They were in separate platoons. When word came that Merle's platoon had been hit just before the ceasefire and that Merle himself had been sent to the 4077th, Daryl had requested leave and it was granted. There had been no details about his brother's injury and it took several hours to get here. Merle losing his hand was bad but Daryl had seen much worse during his year in Korea. Merle appeared to be on the road to recovery. Daryl expected to sleep immediately but found himself thinking of that Korean kid. He had pissed Daryl off at first but Glenn had apologized and upon further acquaintance he seemed pretty interesting and smart. Smart mouthed for sure. Daryl kind of liked that.

The next morning Daryl woke up and turned his head to see Glenn asleep on the next cot. Daryl looked at his watch. Half past seven. He couldn't remember the last time he got a full eight hours. Glenn was on his side, knees drawn up. His face was clean and smooth and pale. His hair was thick and black and shiny. Daryl reached involuntarily to touch it. He sat up, pushed the blanket aside and swung his legs off the cot.

"Hey, kid."

Glenn's eyes opened and he smiled sleepily. "You hungry?"

For a moment Daryl wasn't sure how to answer that. "Yeah. How long you been here?"

"Hour. You still asleep so I have nap."

"You're not gonna be late because of me, are you?"

"No, my shift three to eleven."

"I should clean up."

"Eat first then shower and laundry."

"Latrine first then check on Merle."

So they visited the latrine and looked in on Merle who was finishing breakfast and looked pretty good all things considered. Daryl said he'd be back later.

They took seats at the far end of the mess with a view of the entire tent and Glenn kept up a running commentary on anyone who came in.

A short stocky man in a cap with wire rim glasses and a distracted air: "Corporal O'Reilly, company clerk. Everybody call him Radar."

Daryl had met him briefly when he arrived the night before. Visiting personnel were required to present papers granting leave.

A swarthy man in red twinset sweater and matching beret with skirt and pumps: "Corporal Klinger, corpsman. He trying to get section 8 out of army."

"Wondered about that when I saw him on guard duty last night in a silk nightgown and an overcoat. When is he going home?"

"When his enlistment up. Does his work so not crazy enough to let out early. Tasteful, too. Always wear something special for the holidays."

A short white-haired man with military bearing: "Colonel Potter, surgeon and commander. He in charge but Radar run the place."

"Looks Regular Army."

"Yes, most people here for this war only but Colonel in all of them. Great War, Big One, and now Korea."

The Colonel saw Glenn and approached. Daryl stood up and saluted. Potter nodded Daryl back to his seat. "At ease." He turned to Glenn. "Good to have you back, son. I hope your family is well?"

"A-okay, Colonel. This Daryl, Merle Dixon brother."

"Damn shame about your brother's hand. We couldn't get on top of the infection."

"Better to be alive with one hand than dead with two," Daryl said. "We're grateful for your help." He figured he better express thanks in case Merle hadn't.

"Radar said you checked in last night. Glad to have you with us for Christmas."

"Thank you, sir."

The Colonel moved on to speak with others.

"You were visiting your folks?" Daryl asked.

"Parents and two sisters. They live an hour away."

"At least they're away from the front line."

"An hour on foot not driving. Maybe four mile. Still very close."

An earnest, kindly looking man with white collar and a cross entered. He got a cup of coffee and asked if he could join them. Glenn made the introductions.

"Father Mulcahy, chaplain. This Daryl Dixon, Merle's brother. Is Merle Catholic? If he want confession, we send Father to him."

"We're Baptist but ... uh ... kind of lapsed."

Father Mulcahy chuckled. "I got that impression when I visited the ward."

"Hope my brother wasn't rude. He's not much for religion."

Father Mulcahy smiled. "We all have different spiritual needs."

After breakfast Daryl hit the shower then dressed in the clean uniform he brought with him. Everything else went to the laundry. He went back to sit with Merle who had been looking forward to a sponge bath from the duty nurse and was sorely disappointed to learn that a male orderly would be escorting him to the shower instead to get him up and moving following surgery.

"You might enjoy that," Merle said to Daryl, but not within anyone's hearing. That was too serious a thing to talk about openly.

Glenn came by to collect Daryl for lunch just after the head nurse had made her rounds. She was an efficient and attractive ash blonde who stood no nonsense from Merle.

"I don't know why Major Houlihan don't take to me," Merle said. "Not much of an angel of mercy."

"They call her Hot Lips," Glenn confided.

"Well, that explains why she didn't answer to Sugar Tits."

Daryl and Glenn ate lunch together and spent the time before Glenn's shift talking.

"If you really want to go to America, maybe that Dr. Pierce could get you there and into school."

"Into school, yes, but not into country. Very strict immigration laws for Korea to America. I too old to be adopted."

"Hold old are you?"

"Nineteen. How old you?"

"Twenty-four." Daryl paused. "If you read and write English as good as you talk it, that should help you get to immigrate."

"Very long list. I young and not important. Have to wait many year and then harder to get into school. Only Koreans easy to get to America are war brides. Just announced they can go be with husbands when war ends."

"They're talking peace again. Maybe it'll be over soon. Is it just war brides? You should marry a nurse."

"Nurse don't want to take Korean man home. I don't want to marry anyway. Not fair to nurse." Glenn leaned close. "I don't like girl that way. Like to talk and be friend, nurses are wonderful. But I don't love woman or girl. Don't tell, please." He looked around anxiously at having said more than he meant to.

"I won't." Daryl felt like sharing his own secret in return. "It's the same for me. My brother is the only one who knows besides you. He didn't like it but I'm his only family. Our parents are dead. Do you get to visit your family much?"

"Every month usually. I give them money. Not need much living at camp."

Daryl sat with Merle when Glenn went on duty. As the brothers made plans for the farm when they were both home, Daryl watched Glenn work. Last night he had assumed Glenn was unskilled Korean labor hired locally to clean at night when the ward was quiet. Maybe it was true at one time but Glenn was a valued member of the team now. There were only four patients but he was the one person on duty with no doctor or nurse in sight. No doubt they were on call for an emergency but obviously Glenn was trusted to handle the ward on his own. He handed out meds, changed dressings, helped patients with a bedpan. He wasn't a big kid but he must be strong to lift patients.

Father Mulcahy held a nondenominational Christmas Eve service. Daryl didn't expect Merle to be interested but he was antsy after so many days of inactivity and wanted to go. Glenn volunteered to escort the patient so they all attended together. They skipped Christmas morning mass, preferring to sleep in. The compound was a mixture of quiet and raucous all through the day. Christmas dinner was served and then Merle, who had been classified ambulatory, found a card game with some soldiers who were willing to share their booze with a patient who had the funds to ante up.

When Glenn took his shift, Daryl had no reason to be on the ward. He returned to the now empty tent, laid down and thought for awhile. Merle would be evacuated from the 4077th the next day and on his way home shortly thereafter. Daryl was due back with his platoon in the afternoon. He was unlikely to see Glenn again unless he got hurt and sent to the 4077th and as much as he liked the kid, he didn't wish for that.

Daryl went to supper in the mess then back to his tent. He got along in his platoon but he was quiet and kept to himself. He had wondered if spending so much time with Glenn would be remarked on but nobody seemed to notice. They knew Daryl was here because of his brother and that Glenn was an orderly on the post-op ward. At half past ten Daryl went in search of Merle who didn't want his physical therapy of learning to play cards one-handed interrupted. But he'd been up most of the day and sipping steadily and Daryl said he needed to be sober by morning so he allowed himself to be taken back to the ward. Coincidentally, Glenn's shift was over.

As they walked across the compound Daryl said, "My tent's been empty all day."

"They have one, two or three day pass during ceasefire. Everybody back tomorrow."

"Glad you're here to keep me company but it's too bad you couldn't see your family for Christmas."

"I went early so others go now. I glad we got to meet," Glenn said shyly.

"You want a drink? I was going to share with Merle but he had plenty at that card game."

So they laid on cots and passed the bottle back and forth and when it was finished, Daryl moved as far to the edge of his cot as possible and turned on his side toward Glenn and Glenn got up and laid down with him. They fumbled their clothes open and finished faster than the bottle but enjoyed it even more despite, or maybe because of, their hurry.

Glenn whispered into Daryl's chest, "Merry Christmas to me."

"You're the best present I ever got," Daryl replied.

Their satisfaction was based mostly on physical attributes and the release of sexual tension. Glenn liked this American's wide shoulders, strong arms and blue eyes. His cock was big against Glenn's belly even after he came. Glenn wished they had the time and privacy to do other things. Daryl had similar thoughts as he held this Korean's lean, tight body close. He'd never thought of himself as having a 'type' before. Back home he hadn't been comfortable enough to consider his sexual difference in much detail but halfway around the world in the middle of possible and sometimes probable death, it seemed the right time to give the matter some thought.

They would have liked to spend the night together but that would have been unwise bordering on lunacy so Glenn went to his own quarters and Daryl eventually dropped off alone.

They had breakfast together, not allowing anything they felt to reach their eyes. Daryl spent the morning with Merle then all three ate lunch together. Merle told Daryl to come home in one piece before he left with the mail truck after lunch. Daryl and Glenn said a formal goodbye and Daryl hitched a ride with a supply truck to the front, the reverse of what he'd done three days earlier.

Combat resumed but Daryl had time to think about Glenn between skirmishes. Back at the 4077th Glenn thought about Daryl and was relieved not to see his face in the waves of wounded that passed through.

* * *

Two months later a couple of soldiers in his platoon were wounded but not badly enough to require helicopter transport. Daryl broke the first rule of the military 'Never volunteer for anything' and offered to drive them to the 4077th. He was given an overnight pass so he could return the next day with mail and what supplies would fit in the jeep.

But Glenn had his own overnight pass and was visiting his family. Daryl's heart sank at missing him before he thought, why not, and took off in the jeep. He remembered every word Glenn had said to him and he followed the rudimentary directions Glenn had casually given when explaining how close his family lived. An hour on foot was only twenty minutes by jeep. Daryl came upon a small village. No one spoke much English but they knew the Rhee family. As he approached their hut he had second thoughts about intruding but a young girl outside saw the jeep and ran inside and then the whole family came out to greet him. Glenn looked as happy as Daryl felt. Glenn's parents had little English but they smiled and nodded. His sisters, one older and one younger, spoke English haltingly, not having had the practice that Glenn had. American soldiers always travel with cigarettes and chocolate. Those items are currency during war. Daryl brought out his stash and presented it to Glenn's parents. They refused, he insisted, they took it, and everybody was pleased. They invited him to supper – rice and vegetables with a little meat – eaten in their small but clean home. One end was curtained off and divided as a sleeping area for parents and sisters. Glenn had a lean-to at the back. There was no question about Daryl sharing it. They were as eager that night as they had been in the tent at Christmas but they took their time the next morning.

Their satisfaction this time was more than physical although familiarity made that better, too. They liked each other and had missed each other. They had explored a little but much remained to be discovered and both hoped to be able to do that someday.

Glenn rode with Daryl back to the 4077th. There was another goodbye after Daryl's jeep was loaded with mail and supplies.

* * *

Peace discussions were on and off and had stalled recently but the death of Stalin in March 1953 spurred negotiations and there was hope that the end was in sight. That also meant that each side wanted to gain as much real estate as possible before a final ceasefire so the fighting was fierce. In April Daryl's luck ran out on Pork Chop Hill.

He woke up to Glenn sitting by his bed in the post-op ward. It was much busier than it had been when he visited Merle and it took Daryl a few minutes to realize he was in similar surroundings but it wasn't the 4077th.

"Where am I?"

"6069th MASH," Glenn replied. "Your left thigh torn up but they fixed it."

"How did you get here?"

"Glenn grinned. "Supply run. If 4077th or 6069th need something before regular supply trucks, company clerks call each other and arrange trade. Bad luck you got hurt. Good luck I here when you brought in." His smile faded. "Very worried at first. But you be okay."

"My leg won't be much use for awhile."

Glenn leaned close and whispered. "If we alone I show you I glad to do all the work. Use mouth and not touch leg at all."

"Sounds good but it might not work 'til the morphine wears off. How long can you stay?"

"Only overnight. I brought supplies because 6069th get so many wounded. 4077th not as many, they farther down line from fighting this time. You rest now, I bring supper later."

Daryl dozed, occasionally catching sight of Glenn helping the other orderlies. The pace finally slackened. Glenn brought supper trays to patients who were awake and could eat. He sat with Daryl and gave a rundown on the 6069th while they ate.

"Colonel Greene in command. Surgeons Jenner and Porter." Glenn nodded toward two men checking patients. "Nurses are Carol, Andrea and Sasha. Orderlies Bob and Noah. They have Protestant minister, Pastor Dale, instead of Catholic priest. Those all I know on duty now."

Colonel Greene stopped, still wearing scrubs and looking exhausted. "Thank you for sticking around, Glenn. You're a Godsend."

"Happy to help. I take supper trays back now."

"That'll be fine but you're done then. Visit with your friend and find a bed for the night." He nodded at Daryl and moved down the ward.

Daryl found himself thinking crazy stuff while Glenn collected supper trays. When he returned Daryl said, "My enlistment is up in two months."

"But you go home right away since you got hurt."

"I'm gonna stay. Peace is close. I want you to come to America with me. Do you still want to go?"

"Of course. But not possible. Especially for us to be together."

"Does your family want you to go?"

"Yes."

"What about the money you give them?"

"I can help from America. And maybe bring them over someday if I become citizen."

"Would they be willing to do something a little ... well ... illegal?" Daryl told Glenn his plan.

At five the next morning, Glenn visited the post-op ward to say goodbye to Daryl before leaving early for the 4077th. It was dim and quiet but not dark enough to put his own whispered plan from the day before into action. He used his hand instead of his mouth and Daryl's leg remained undisturbed. If the tired orderly at the far end of the ward noticed, it was only to think Glenn was helping a patient with a bedpan or bottle.

When Glenn left Daryl dozed, sleepy and satisfied. While rubbing him to completion Glenn had whispered that sex was good for pain but Daryl hadn't believed it at first. The morphine had worn off and his leg had started to ache. He was glad not to be drugged so he could respond to Glenn's hand on his dick but after he came he was surprised to find that his leg barely hurt. No need to ask for something early, he could wait for the morning meds. Daryl worried about something else instead. Glenn had been so happy about coming to America that Daryl was afraid gratitude might be a bigger feeling for him than the prospect of being with Daryl.

Later that day Daryl's commanding officer Captain Rick Grimes arrived at the 6069th to check on Daryl and three other men in his platoon who had been injured. One had since died and the others would be going home. When Daryl told his CO he wanted to stay in Korea, Grimes thought he was crazy not to get out when he could but told him he'd agree if Daryl still wanted to stay after he'd had time to heal and think about it.

Daryl returned to his platoon three weeks later on light duty. Grimes understood his wish to stay when Daryl told him he was going to marry a local girl.

* * *

In the middle of June Daryl Dixon married Min-Jee Rhee before his enlistment was up, making her a Korean war bride. She was two years older than Glenn and they looked much alike, especially since Glenn didn't really need to shave yet. Glenn had told his family about the plan and they agreed but Daryl met with Min-Jee privately as well.

"If you're not sure you want to do this, I'll tell them I changed my mind so they won't blame you."

"I want to do it."

"There could be trouble with paperwork if you want to marry anybody else."

Min-Jee smiled sadly. "Who I marry? Man I love was killed. So many more dead. I want to help my brother."

Daryl and the Rhee family went to the 6069th where Reverend Horvath pronounced Daryl and Min-Jee man and wife. The MASH unit remembered Glenn's concern for his future brother-in-law when Daryl had been wounded in April. Grimes had given Daryl a three day pass so he went with his new family to their home and he and Glenn shared the lean-to again.

They were nervous because of the changed circumstances. There were bound to be second thoughts as each wondered if they had committed to a course of action in haste. But their affection had deepened in the past weeks and the physical pull was strong. They learned that Daryl's preference was to top and Glenn's to bottom but neither was opposed to an occasional switch for variety.

They talked quietly afterwards.

"Did you tell the 4077th about me and your sister?"

"Yes. They understood why you get married at 6069th since you not Catholic. They think you already know Min when you come to visit Merle, that why we spend time together. They happy for me, think you and Min get me to America soon, maybe whole family someday."

"Hope I didn't mislead you about home. Dixons are no account in Georgia. We got some land and a house but it's not big or fancy."

Glenn looked around his lean-to and laughed. "I fit right in!"

"But you won't always. You'll be a doctor someday. I barely finished high school. I want you to know I ain't gonna hold you back."

"What you mean?" Glenn sounded distressed.

"I'll be around as long as you'll have me but getting you to America don't mean you owe me forever."

"You don't believe I want to be with you always?" Glenn was usually so good-natured that it took Daryl a moment to catch on that he was quivering with anger.

Daryl hugged him and apologized clumsily. "Sorry. I just don't want you to feel obliged. That's not why I'm doin' this."

Glenn smiled, his spirits high again. "I get it. And I forgive you. But someday I say, 'I told you so'."

After the brief honeymoon, life went on as usual. Daryl went back to his platoon and Glenn returned to the 4077th. Six weeks later the Armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. But the fighting continued to the bitter end and Daryl was afraid something might happen to him in those final days so he made arrangements just in case. He was thankful they weren't needed.

* * *

The next part of the plan took place ten weeks later. Troop ships began transporting soldiers home almost immediately but Daryl waited for a ship that would allow Korean brides to accompany their husbands. The first week of October the entire Rhee family gathered on the wharf at Pusan to say goodbye to Daryl and Min-Jee. Daryl was in uniform. Min wore a pretty high-necked dress with long sleeves, not the best choice for an unseasonably hot day on the crowded wharf, but she was a modest young woman and it would be very suitable at sea when it was cooler. Her brother Glenn proudly wore a Georgia Bulldogs baseball cap given to him by Daryl. Merle had sent it over at Daryl's request when Daryl told him what was going on.

Daryl and Min handed over their papers and were checked in by the duty officer. Afterwards Min whispered to Daryl and Daryl asked the bored guard if there was a bathroom.

"Public restrooms around the corner but I can't vouch for the state they're in. Might be better to wait until you're settled on board."

Min bit her lip and said, "I go now."

"I better stand outside and wait for you," Daryl the attentive husband offered.

"I take her," Glenn said. "Maybe last thing I can do for my sister."

"Stand aside there," the guard said to the rest of them. "You and the Missus will have to get aboard soon as she gets back."

There was a final round of hugs when Min and Glenn returned. Daryl shook hands with his father-in-law and brother-in law and kissed the cheeks of his mother-in-law and little sister-in-law. He helped his wife up the gangplank and they stood at a railing waving to the Rhee family below.

"I tell Min to keep cap on, not forget and wave it at us." Glenn had grown his hair out below his chin since April. Min had cut hers to match his length. Her hair was tucked under the cap now as his had been before the trip to the bathroom.

"You look good. I had to look twice when you got back to be sure you switched."

"This is fun. I feel like Corporal Klinger!"

"The fun might wear off after a couple of weeks at sea but we'll get you new clothes in San Francisco."

The ship unmoored and the wharf slowly receded. Glenn teared up at the last sight of his family and his country, Land of Morning Calm. "Sorry."

"I don't mind crying as long as you don't regret leaving," Daryl said.

"Never. I love you, Daryl."

"Love you, too."

"I don't love you just for doing this. I love you even if we were apart."

"I know. But how could I be happy without you?"

Glenn didn't have to spend much time with the other brides on the long voyage across the Pacific. They chattered together in Korean sometimes but mostly they were with their husbands, practicing English in order to impress their new families. Glenn continued to wear long-sleeves to hide arms that were a little too muscular. He wore high necks to conceal his adam's apple. It wasn't very prominent but it would be noticeable to anyone who knew what it meant.

* * *

They docked in San Francisco 19 days later. There had been paperwork when they left and there would be more now that they had arrived because the military loves paperwork. Glenn didn't mind that but his excitement about finally setting foot on U.S. soil was overpowered by panic when he learned there would also be physicals for the war brides.

"It's over." His usual cheerful optimism was gone. "I can't fake that!"

"Don't worry, the fix is in," Daryl said. "I knew there would be physicals but I didn't want you to stew about it all the way here. There's a friend waiting for you."

Glenn was led away with the other brides and seated in a large holding area. They were seen in alphabetical order so he didn't have to wait long before they reached the Ds.

A pretty nurse consulted a clipboard and called out, "Min-Jee Rhee, wife of Daryl Dixon."

Glenn tottered forward. His heels weren't high and he'd never had trouble walking in them before but his legs felt shaky.

The nurse smiled. "The doctor is ready for you."

She led him to a small cubicle where a man leaned over a folder. He looked up with a familiar mustache and boyish grin.

"I'm Dr. Hunnicutt," he said, not giving away that he knew this 'bride'.

B.J. Hunnicutt! Glenn had last seen him overseeing the dismantling of the 4077th. But the nurse was still here and that was a problem. Or not. Another familiar voice.

"Nurse, I'll take over for awhile."

"Oh no, Major Houlihan, that's not necessary."

"It is for me. I've been here all day without actually doing anything. I was hands-on in Korea and I want to be useful not just in charge. You deserve a break."

"Thank you ma'am." The nurse handed over the clipboard and left. Margaret Houlihan closed the door. She smiled and hugged Glenn.

"We've got about 15 minutes," B.J. said.

"How did Daryl do this?"

"He came to the 4077th after the Armistice. I was the only doctor left because my enlistment wasn't up yet and Colonel Potter was already reassigned. As it happens, I was the best choice because I live in Mill Valley which is just outside San Francisco. That's why he waited for a bride transport here. The first one went to Seattle. Easy enough for me to be the one performing physicals today."

"And for me to be the charge nurse," Margaret added.

"Why didn't you tell us?" B.J. asked. "We would have helped."

"I didn't want any friends to get in trouble."

"Have you already forgotten who lived in the Swamp?" Margaret asked. "They were always trouble!"

"There's more," B.J. said. "You remember Duke Forrest?"

"Sure. But you didn't know him."

"Before my time at the 4077th," B.J. said. "But I heard about him from Hawkeye and I know he lives in Georgia. Hawk would hate to be left out of this so I called him and he called Forrest. Forrest is pulling some strings so you can go to university on Dixon's GI Bill."

"I can't do that! That's for Daryl."

"He told me it would go to waste if you didn't use it. If it works out, you may be able to use Merle Dixon's GI Bill for medical school."

"So many people do so much for me. How can I thank you?"

"You just did," B.J. said.

"But I can never repay."

"Glenn, you deserve this opportunity," Margaret said. "Someday you may be able to help someone else. That's repayment enough."

"Our time is up," B.J. said. "We all wanted to help you, Glenn. We're just glad Dixon made it happen. You take care." They shook hands.

"Have a happy life," Margaret said with another hug.

Glenn went out to meet Daryl. He protested using Daryl's GI Bill but Daryl said high school was all the classes he ever wanted to be in. It was more than Merle wanted; he had dropped out when he turned 16.

They went shopping and got jeans, tee shirts, loafers and a haircut for Glenn who wanted to try an Asian James Dean look. To celebrate Glenn walking like a man again, Daryl asked where he wanted to have his first meal in America. Over pizza Daryl apologized for not being able to afford to fly home but Glenn was delighted at the idea of seeing the country by train. He didn't see much at first because they took the midnight train to Georgia but his days were spent glued to the window.

On Halloween morning they pulled into the Terminus of Atlanta. From there it was a short bus ride to Benford where Merle waited with the old truck. He handed Glenn the baseball cap Min had mailed from Korea. Traveling by air, it arrived before them. There was a letter written in Korean that Glenn translated out loud: Min wished honorable brother well and respectfully requested that he return the bra she had special ordered from Sears Roebuck catalog.

* * *

Epilogue: Glenn's Journal

It took 17 years but they finally figured it out.

Daryl and I didn't live together when we arrived from Korea. It would have been a bad idea in 1950s Georgia and I needed to be close to university anyway. I aced the entrance exam and began classes in January 1954. I got a room in Atlanta and a job at the hospital, based on recommendations from Colonel Potter, the Swamp doctors and Major Houlihan. Daryl and I saw each other on weekends. He would come to Atlanta or I would visit the farm. I was busy working and studying and he and Merle were busy farming.

Merle may have gotten a sponge bath from a nurse after all. He married Andrea of the 6069th. She was from Florida and they met when she came to Atlanta for a nursing seminar. She wasn't Regular Army or an officer and I guess she didn't mind being called Sugar Tits.

After college came medical school, internship and residency. In between all that I became a naturalized citizen in my own right which took a little finagling of the paperwork. Meanwhile my family emigrated to Michigan because a church group there sponsored them. Daryl and Min-Jee got divorced after she was naturalized. My family refused to accept money from Daryl after that. They didn't want it at first either but Daryl insisted on helping when I sent money to Korea and later to Michigan. He said he was their son-in-law and they were his family and he was grateful to them for producing me.

Two years ago I decided it was time to repay the help so many people gave me. I'd been in practice for five years. I had an apartment much nicer than the small room I used to rent and a car more reliable than the first beater I owned. I'd always taken a few pro bono patients but I wanted to do more. America was 15 years into Vietnam and returning soldiers were often treated badly. So I volunteered at the veterans hospital one entire day a week. I didn't do it for publicity and would have preferred to remain anonymous but there was an article and it got some attention. I wondered if someone would put it together. We'd left paper trails in the military and the states of Georgia and Michigan. Daryl and I hadn't worried about it over the years. We talked early on and agreed we'd just deal with it if it ever happened. Daryl always told me not to fall apart and confess if someone in authority confronted me. He said it was more likely to be about a parking ticket or car registration. His experience was that someone would come after you for the small stuff but the bigger and more outrageous the hoax, the more likely it was to be overlooked.

When it happened, there was no pounding on the door, just a polite form letter requesting my assistance with 'conflicting information' and 'record discrepancies'. I didn't tell Daryl. I called and made an appointment and presented myself to two bureaucrats, one from the army and one from Georgia.

I laid it out for them, the whole story except that Daryl and I are lovers. They couldn't believe it at first. My quick response to the letter had led them to believe that I would hand over some missing document that would clear everything up. Then they decided to be offended by the enormity of the scam and the resulting fraud. Except there was no real fraud. Daryl had married my sister. I came to America in her place but so what if it was the wrong Korean? She didn't come until she was legally admitted with the rest of my family. I used the Dixon's GI Bills for my education but they didn't use them so there was no double dipping.

But bureaucrats can be unforgiving and I could see these two thinking their careers might benefit by bringing corruption to light. So I pointed out that this wasn't the first instance of American servicemen bending the rules to help a civilian in time of war. Every so often a heart-warming story surfaces. A veteran helped me in 1953. Two years ago I began helping veterans. Would the press really see my story as corruption? And if they did, it might be an opportunity for further investigation. Reporters had become so aggressive lately. They might uncover incidents far more unsavory. Vietnam was an unpopular war and now – in 1970 – the reputation of the military and the government was at an all-time low.

I could almost see their wheels spinning instead of turning. Did I mention I'm a psychiatrist? I've been treating head cases for years. Playing mind games with a couple of bureaucrats presented no challenge. They caved.

I told Daryl later. He was sulky that I handled it without him but a blowjob took care of that. Yes, there are times when I manipulate Daryl with sex. I enjoy it as much as he does. After that we worked through our repertoire and ended with him inside me. When we finished Daryl admitted it was good to have our life settled. Which reminded me of one more thing that needed to be settled.

"Do you remember our honeymoon, Daryl?"

"Hard to forget 19 days on a boat and six days on trains with nothin' much to do except what we just did."

"I meant what we talked about after you and Min got married."

Daryl frowns as he thinks back. "I still mean it, you don't owe me. Are you leaving now that we got found out and it's okay?"

"Of course not. You don't still believe that I'm just grateful you brought me to America, do you?"

"Naw, you convinced me pretty quick it wasn't that. Since then I figured you're with me for the sex."

"You don't want gratitude but you don't mind being used for sex?"

"I can live with that."

"What about when I moved in? That should have proved I wanted to be with you."

"That was economics. You lost twenty percent of your income volunteering at the vet hospital. Made sense to give up your apartment."

"I could afford the apartment. 'The times they are a-changin' and it felt like the right time to live together."

"Yeah, we didn't even have to move to San Francisco. Although we won't be going public in Georgia anytime soon."

"I love you, Daryl. That's the only reason I'm with you."

"I love you, too, kid. So this wasn't a goodbye fuck?"

"You forgot the promise I made back then. This was an 'I told you so' fuck."


End file.
